Ergonomic Kitchen Design in Malaysian Low-Cost Housing

The kitchen is where family members gather and household chores are primarily done. The purpose of the study is to highlight the issue of the comfort of Malaysian low-cost housing kitchens. It is the space commonly disregarded and has been a cause for many other issues relating to health, safety, and cleanliness. To propose a better design strategy, a basic understanding of the underlying principles and design development is pertinent to extracting the key elements that make up a good kitchen. It will serve as a basis for a revised guideline for plan layout, particularly in Malaysian low-cost housings. Keywords: Ergonomics; Kitchen Design; Low-cost; Minimal Space eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i20.342

The symbolic universe of Cyberjaya, Malaysia

This paper analyses how various actors have used potent urban symbols to assert their vision of a modern, globalized Malay identity in the construction of the recently founded knowledge city of Cyberjaya, part of the flagship Multimedia Super Corridor project. As the state controls both the land and the urban planning process it has attempted to impose its own particularistic vision of Malaysian society on urban space and urban structures. This is demonstrated through an analysis of the discursive vision behind Cyberjaya, the logos of government corporations, the use of architectural forms and motifs, and the treatment of urban space itself. The discussion suggests the spatial and symbolic universe of Cyberjaya draws on both patterns of ‘traditional’ Malay life as well a projected vision of a modernized Malay identity that resonates with a globalized Islam. This generates contestations in which other possible imaginings of Cyberjaya’s symbolic space become possible

Intelligent cities? Disentangling the symbolic and material effects of technopole planning practices in Cyberjaya, Malaysia.

Cyberjaya was heralded in the mid-1990s as the Multimedia Super Corridor's (MSG) flagship 'intelligent city' and designed to prepare Malaysia and its citizens for a giant leap forward into an imagined new 'information age'. The urban mega-project constituted a state led response to the much hyped 'Siliconisation of Asia' and was planned to fast-track national development through investment in information and communications technologies (ICTs). The thesis seeks to examine how the discursive architectures of the 'information society' were mobilised, by whom, and with what material consequences as technopole planning practices were inscribed on the Malaysian landscape. Ten years on from the excessive high-tech utopianism and urban boosterism that accompanied the city's launch, the thesis promotes qualitative methodologies to examine the critical human geographies of the MSG. Specifically, empirical analysis addresses the uneven socio-spatial consequences and 'splintering urbanisms' manifesting in Malaysia's emerging spaces of neoliberal modernity. Research methodologies included in-depth interviews with political and business elites in Malaysia, participant observation with residents and workers in Cyberjaya, and a critical discourse analysis of the MSG policy and promotional materials. To this end, the thesis seeks to disentangle the symbolic and material effects of technopole planning practices in Cyberjaya

Urban design method: theory and practice: a case study in Malaysia

This research sets out to investigate methods to design urban spaces in Malaysia by studying the approach adopted by architects. The primary concern is the design of exterior spaces with the assumption that the poor urban spaces found in Malaysian urban areas is due to the weaknesses in the design method adopted by designers. For this purpose, the research addressed these objectives:- (1) To identify the reasons why the design of urban spaces is neglected by architects that produce poor continuity in the design of urban spaces, (2) To examine the process adopted and the infonnation used by architects in the design of urban ensemble and (3) To investigate the ways in which the architects responded to the needs of the user and the public. The techniques used for data collection include literature review, discussions with experts, content analysis, author's experience in practice, recognisance, observation, survey and in-depth interview. The information gathered was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The weaknesses of the design process and limited use of important information were due to: (1) poor recognition of urban design, (2) limited time allocated, (3) economic pressure, (4) quick commissioning of the project and (5) professionalism. There was also insufficient public involvement in the design process due to poor public awareness, client's attitude, financial constraints, professionalism and the attitudes of the designer. As such design was mostly related to marketing strategy. The main theory adopted in the organisation of the exterior spaces is mostly related to circulation (line) and centres (dots). At the same time, the traditional urban spaces and fonns were influential element used in design. The recommendations that follow were geared towards improving the design methods adopted by architects in producing better design of urban spaces